Taking the Step out of step Parent

Seasonal Allergies + Essential Oils

This is a piece I wrote for Exhalenow.com — they approached me for a paid piece and it was a blast to do!

I live in the Midwest and the weather has a tendency of saying, “Oh, you think you can’t have all four seasons in one week? Here – hold my beer!” When those times occur our allergies are hit full force. Over the years I’ve researched more organic/homeopathic ways of controlling our seasonal allergies. Then I discovered essential oils (Young Living) and they changed my entire family’s life during allergy season.

Essential oils have been used for ages. They date back to biblical times and were seen and used as the treasures they truly are. It takes 22 minutes for a 100% therapeutic grade essential oil to process through every cell in your body. That’s just insane. I was skeptic at first but after a great deal of research and finding the right brand for my family, I took the dive and invested in an entire line of essential oils.

Along with me and my husband, both of our kids suffer from seasonal allergies. We’ve taken different types of allergy medicines throughout our lives, but just taking a pill won’t make the symptoms go away. We needed to change something else; we needed the extra support and boost to be able to survive the wrath of the Midwest seasons.

What I am about to say is only based off my experience with the brand Young Living, this is very important to know because all essential oil brands are different. There are three different ways you can use essential oils. You can diffuse them in a home diffuser, apply them topically, or ingest them. There are four oils that are key to allergy support; Lemon, Lavender, Peppermint, and RC. Here are two of my favorite ways to use these oils:

Diffusing

• Add three drops of Lemon, Lavender, and Peppermint to your home diffuser. Diffusing the EO’s (essential oils) will fill the house with their organic aroma. This will benefit everyone in the whole house who is breathing in the air. Boom! Two birds with one stone!

• You can also boil water, add the three EO’s, put a small towel over your head, and inhale the oils. This works really well when your allergies are getting pretty rough. The towel traps the moisture, heat, and oils. This helps with releasing sinus pressure and opening up the chest and nasal passages.

Topically

• Essential oils are applied to your pressure points, such as your temples, wrists, bottom of feet, neck, and behind your ears. These points are the fastest way for the oils to enter your system.

• Roller balls are the best thing ever for essential oils! They are super easy to make and very kid friendly! If you are making a roller ball for allergies or applying them topically you will need a carrier oil. Carrier oils dilute essential oils, which is what you want for your kiddos! Add about seven drops of each oil in a 10ML roller ball and then fill the rest with a carrier oil (grapeseed, almond, rose hip, or coconut oil).

If your allergies are becoming intense and congested I suggest using the essential oil blend RC by Young Living. I swear by this oil. It is part of my “First Aid Kit”. RC stands for Respiratory Congestion. The oils blend contains Marjoram for warming, Lavender for calming, Cypress for circulation, Peppermint for invigorating, Spruce, Eucalyptus, and Pine for respiratory support, and Myrtle for fighting infections. I put about three drops of that in my hands with a carrier oil and rub it all over my chest like a name brand vapor rub.

Essential oils can support you through the tough seasons of allergies, without all the toxins from the over the counter stuff that has things in it we can’t even pronounce. I have seen it firsthand. It’s important to keep your kids involved when teaching them about how to use these oils and what they can do to support your body, because just like everything else in their lives, we want them to be educated in what they are putting into their bodies. Now both of my kids have their very own roller balls tucked away in their back packs for whenever they feel their allergies coming on. You might win with the weather Midwest, but we are now prepared for your wrath.

Thanks so much for this information. I’ve been curious about essential oils, but haven’t taken the time to research them. I don’t really have many allergy issues, but one of my children has them bad enough that I would like to find a better way to deal with them.

Essential oils are truly magical! I have a hard time staying asleep so I’ve made a roller ball with oils that help support that. My husband has RLS and he has a roller ball that relaxes his legs every night so they don’t twitch. So many things EO’s can help with! I’m here if you have any questions or you’re curious. My email is notheaveragemama@gmail.com ❤️